This legacy site contains verbatim transcripts of extensive oral history interviews with 19 civil rights mediators who worked for the US Department of Justice, Community Relations Service (CRS). Together these interviews cover the period from CRS' founding in the mid 1960s through the early 2000's and cover some of the biggest civil rights conflicts of the time. The interviews are heavily indexed making it easy to find passages addressing the well over 100 questions asked of participants. For more information see the project description.

Project Description

Civil Rights Mediation in the United States

Overview/Instructions 

Full List of Interview Questions & Answers

Topic Segments 

Selected Questions & Answers

Interview Transcripts 

• Alderete, Angel
• Cardenas, Leo
• Ensley, Bob
• Ferrell, Nancy
• Hansen, Silke
• Howden, Edward
• Hughes, Bob
• Jones, Ernest
• Klugman, Julian
• Martinez, Efrain
• Petterson, Werner
• Reed, Will
• Rivera, Renaldo
• Salem, Dick
• Salinas, Manuel
• Sutton, Ozell
• Thom, Stephen
• Walsh, Martin
• Warfield, Wally

Additional Background Materials

Racial Conflict Simulation

Responding to Racial Conflicts

Funding and Acknowledgments

Project Staff